LONDON, 2015-11-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sainsbury’s has unveiled a heartwarming new advertising campaign featuring one of the nation’s best loved children’s book characters, Judith Kerr’s Mog, to highlight the importance of sharing at Christmas.

Developed in partnership with Judith’s publishers HarperCollins Children’s Books, and titled ‘Mog’s Christmas Calamity’, the full length 3’30”TV advert will air for the first time on Thursday 12th November across multiple channels including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky simultaneously at 7.15pm. The campaign will help raise vital funds for Save the Children to improve child literacy across the UK, because every year, 1 in 5 children in England are leaving primary school behind in reading which can have huge consequences for their futures.

Sainsbury’s approached Judith Kerr and her publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books, developing the concept for the story together, with Judith writing and illustrating a new Mog book, to be exclusively sold in Sainsbury’s to complement the story told in the campaign. The campaign is designed to entertain children and families across the UK, as well as raising funds to improve children’s literacy, with the book on sale in Sainsbury’s stores for £3, alongside a specially created Mog soft toy for £10. Judith Kerr, HarperCollins Children’s Books and Sainsbury’s will donate all profits from the book and toy to Save the Children to support their literacy work, making a positive and lasting difference to children in the UK.

Directed by James Rouse, and co-produced by Sainsbury’s and HarperCollins Children’s Books, the campaign has been created in collaboration with Judith Kerr herself, who also makes a cameo appearance in the film. The new advert is a charming tale of a sequence of highly improbable and entertaining events that befall the iconic and calamity-prone Mog in the early hours of Christmas morning, before the family are awake.

In the midst of the chaos, however, Mog succeeds in contacting the fire station which kick-starts the rescue mission to save Christmas Day. In the aftermath of the smoke filled calamity and following a visit from the fire chief and his brigade, the Thomas family turn to see all their neighbours standing in the doorway, armed with mops and brooms for the clean-up, as well as delicious festive food, drinks and decorations. Everyone comes together to celebrate the Christmas festivities – after all, Christmas is for sharing.

Mark Given, Director of Planning and Propositions, Sainsbury’s, commented: “More than any other time of year, the Christmas season is when people come together with family and friends to share simple moments and kindnesses. For many families the sharing of stories is an important part of their Christmas celebrations and is often a tradition that is passed down through generations. This year, we’re proud to be working with renowned children’s author Judith Kerr to create a magical new Mog story to be enjoyed by parents and children and to support the important cause of helping Save the Children to improve child literacy in the UK.”

Tanya Steele, Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Communications at Save the Children said; “We are delighted to be a part of this year’s Christmas campaign for Sainsbury’s and so grateful for the spotlight that it places on the issue of child literacy in the UK. We want reading, which is the key to a child’s future, to become a national mission. We are calling for everyone from parents to grandparents, communities and schools to business and government to get all children reading well by the age of eleven. Thanks to the support of everyone involved in this campaign, we will be able to give more UK children – particularly those children from the poorest families – the essential early language skills they need to succeed in life.”

Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books and founding member of the Read On. Get On. Campaign added: “It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Sainsbury’s on this campaign and what better way to celebrate the festive season than with the gift of storytelling by putting a book at the heart of Christmas. HarperCollins Children’s Books have been Judith Kerr’s publishers for over 50 years, and her Mog stories have enchanted generations of children. The book is joyful and has some of her finest illustrations to enjoy. It’s been a wonderfully creative collaboration and most importantly it will leave a lasting legacy to help Children in Britain to share in the pleasures of reading in future years.”

How will this campaign support the work of Save the Children?

With the support of Sainsbury’s and HarperCollins Children’s Books this campaign will help Save the Children in three key ways:

Raising vital funds for Save the Children’s work to improve child literacy in the UK, funding direct programmes with children and supporting their work as part of the Read On. Get On. coalition

Helping children’s literacy by encouraging families across the UK to read with their children and share stories, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year

Providing a platform for Save the Children to talk about the importance of reading to a child’s future and the need for everyone to get behind the campaign and support children’s literacy